Many reasons to reject casino for South Blooming Grove
Editor's note: The following letter concerns the proposal by the Cordish Companies and Penn National Gaming to site a casino resort in the Village of South Blooming Grove, which recently held a public meeting on the proposal. See "Casino firms promise benefits": http://bit.ly/1l3t07Q.
To the Village of South Blooming Grove:
This email is a follow up to my comments from the Village Public Meeting on 7/28/2014. My comments are as follows:
1. Habitat Destruction. There are many species of insect, plant, and animal that use the land within the Town and Village. Some species that have been sited and would be susceptible to this development are as follows:
New York timber rattlesnake
White tailed deer
Turkey
Rana sylvatica (frog species)
Mountain lion (Photographed by a neighbor's trail camera. I have contacted him to get a copy of the picture)
Multiple Mayfly species that inhabit the wetlands/streams of the property
Fireflies. The potential lighting conditions will have a dramatic affect on mating behaviors
Tick populations driven closer to residences, carried by the deer in search of new habitat. I am available to discuss my personal experiences with Ticks and Lyme Disease.
2. Light Pollution. I spent the weekend visiting the Penn National facility near Harrisburg, Pa., and then the Cordish facility in Maryland. Light pollution is a significant concern that needs to be addressed.
3. Emissions/Air Quality. This is interesting as we are affected by the emissions from power generating plants in the western states. The usage of power at these gaming facilities I would expect is substantial. Couple that with the idling trucks (witnessed at the Penn facility on 8/1/2014. I have video if needed), bus, personal vehicles, employee and delivery vehicles, the emissions will be substantial. The homes in close proximity to the Casino, including mine, will have dramatic reduction in air quality. Will Cordish/Penn look to outfit the local homes with air cleaning/HEPA filtration? This still will not address the outside air.
4. Traffic, including Route 17 exits 129 and 130, Museum Village Road, and route 208. This is currently a significant problem. My wife and daughter were almost run down by a driver trying to beat the school bus lights. The bus was hit but luckily no one was injured. Museum Village road is already a raceway to MediaCom, the park and ride, and Route 17. Lets address these issues before we introduce more.
5. EMF/EMR pollution.
6. Radon changes in the surrounding area
7. Noise pollution, not only from the facility but from the increased traffic
8. Sewer/Water.
Increased effluent release into the rivers and creeks. Affects on downstream communities and potential impacts on future development in the Village/Town
Affects on local wells. Mine was never tested in response to the development of MediaCom. Will I be neglected in this development as well?
Runoff of pesticides and herbicides contaminating wells, affecting air and surface water quality. Irrigation water used at local organic farms, such as Blooming Hill Farm.
Runoff of vehicle fluids that leak onto the paved surfaces and wash into local streams and groundwater during rain
Use of salt during winter affecting water and environment
Paving materials themselves affecting local water supplies.
9. Societal/Economic Concerns
Drinking and Driving. Responsible Drinking Programs will not change that. And lets face it, impairment starts at the first sip. Will they allow for random checkpoints at the exit of the facilities? What if someone is killed by a impaired driver leaving the facility.
Tired Driving. Studies on the affects of sleep deprivation on abilities to drive have shown to exceed the impairment levels seen with alcohol. Will this be addressed as well?
Affects of problem gamblers on families and communities. We seem to always focus our efforts on the addicts, but the addicted have a profound affect on their families, friends, colleagues, and communities. Studies show the more accessible, the bigger the problem. When we evaluate rise in crime due to regional casinos, do we look at domestic violence, divorce rates, job losses, unreported thefts from family/friends.
Housing values in both the Town and Village of Blooming Grove. All studies point to negative impacts that do not recover. I personally was recently rejected for a HELOC and my credit scores are in the 820s. Off the record the loan officer said given the location to a proposed Casino site, they are not interested in issuing loans to properties who may see significant devaluation in the next few years.
Crime. Research shows that although crime does not spike in the beginning, a gradual increase in crime over time is to be expected.
Casinos in Meadowlands as well as Jersey City NJ. What happens in a few years when these facilities are up and running. Both Cordish and Penn based our community as a viable one given the location toNew York City. They stated facilities in Ulster and Sullivan County are too far for day trippers, which will make up a majority of the patrons. If their logic is correct, than the facilities in NJ that are closer to New York City will negatively impact Orange county casinos, resulting in job losses, less tax revenue, potential closure. If the facility closed, then what? How will we handle the loss in taxes, jobs? What will we do with the monstrous vacant resort?
One interesting thing I learned while visiting the National Aquarium in Baltimore this past weekend is the connection our local community has with the Chesapeake Bay. Runoff from our roadways, yards, commercial facilities, etc will make it into rivers and streams that eventually empty into the Chesapeake Bay. This pollution has put great stresses on that ecosystem, and has negatively impacted the people who rely on the biodiversity for both food as well as to make a living. Given the close ties that Cordish Companies has to that area, do they think about their development and landscaping practices with regards to affects on the Chesapeake region? They are willing to exploit people for the sake of profits, do they really care about the blue crab? If they don't care about the place they call home, why would they care about South Blooming Grove?
This is a small sampling of concerns that I along with many other community residents have with Casinos. I am available to sit down and discuss at further length and share with you the images and videos from my trip to PA and MD. It was definitely eye opening, and my interviews with local residents and employees at local establishments further affirms my beliefs that this development will be net negative except from those profiting. At the same time Government will use the money to expand like they did in PA and any tax benefits to the local community will diminish. I would ask that you look at all these factors and not sacrifice the community for some short term gains.
Given all the possible negatives and benefits, I would recommend commissioning a committee that includes local government officials, environmental groups and experts, local community members and business owners, developers and land owners. This way we can ensure a comprehensive risk analysis that considers all affected parties as well as our community and environment. If all the information that the developers are providing the state, local government, and community is accurate, I would expect the developers to welcome this opportunity since the results would likely show this to be positive.
As you may know my family has connections in local and state government in both NJ and NY. In addition, through my undergraduate research work I have connections with environmental groups and expert research organizations. To help out the Village of South Blooming Grove I will be making contact over the next few days with government officials in NJ and NY who represent our downstream communities. I will make sure they are aware of potential effluent release into drinking water supplies so they can work with Orange County to address any risks. In addition I will work on mobilizing local and regional environmental groups so these resources are available to assist with the environmental impact.
I will continue to perform my due diligence as a concerned citizen and I look forward to you doing the same.
Bill McPeek
Monroe